Body Mass Index

[Matt In Oklahoma]

So just got done with an online health deal for work and insurance. They determined that I am obese thru my BMI. I asked them how they came to that conclusion on so little info and apparently there is some widely accepted calculator out there that says at 5-11 and 215 I am 30percent, that is one freakin third of my body weight, FAT. Dont get me wrong this old man could stand to lose 20 or so and I aint no ripped freak of nature for sure but this is a crock.

After I cooled down I told them to come on down and if they could last 3minutes with me and my obese self I would gladly follow their diet because apparently I eat to much meat and nuts AKA protein for their liking too.

Is this the facts and figures they use for national stats? Who thinks they know what your fat content is without measuring the chest, neck, etc? I've been taking measurements for over 20yrs and this is not the right way to measure someone. So I guess Arnold Schwarzenegger is morbidly obese LOL!?! They are gonna send me a "counselor" to help me with this "problem". It had better be Randy Couture or that wannabe ... is in trouble.

[1Admin]

LOL. I wouldn't purposely mess with Matt... and I purposely fight with people for fun ;)

BMI is a crock of crap IMO. I was at my "ideal weight" for my fat at 173- I looked a damn crack head. I got there, but I had lost a lot of muscle tone in the cut.

Hovering around 179 I guess I'm a fattie too based on the BMI charts for 5'11" Funny thing is you can see my ribs all the time, so I guess they are basing the B(S)MI index on crackheads or Ethernopians... LOL

Last physical I got was for some life insurance in 05-06'ish. I was prolly 230 then. Gal took my BP, pulse and said "how long have you been running?" I did not LOOK like someone who ran regularly. I was fat but fit in regards to fighting, running, carrying a pack, etc.

As long as you can do the work- and it's obvious you can- and you aren't experiencing any health problems, then the only one that should give a rip is you. Screw a "counselor."

[protus]

mat..before i got hurt i was running 2.5-3 miles a day plus weights ,,and more cardio. i avg 9 min miles.not bad imho for a guy with short legs ,,fat by most eyes and near 40.
anyway. at 511 and 225 on a bmi scale i was obese ...

now year later ill admit i am due to not much cardio work...and some weight gain, but i played around with a bmi chart once. to get below 20% id have to be 170-175. now id love to be that small but id look like LD said a crack head..

[Patriotic Sheepdog]

Unfortunately, medicine uses the BMI as a measurement of health. I'm not saying it is correct, just stating the fact. As medical records continue to go to electronic, these numbers will go into national data banks. I believe, and this is just my opinion, that your numbers will somehow get to your insurance company and hence....increase your premiums based on your vital signs, BMI, lipid panel, etc. The medical establishment is constantly changing what is "normal" based on research, but again IMO, some of this research is flawed and pushed by Pharma to get a drug or class of drugs prescribed more.

Just my two pennies


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[Grand58742]

I'm with Matt here. I'm supposedly "obese" by USAF standards. While, like him, I might afford to drop about 10 pounds, I'd look real goofy as to where they think I should be (32" waist).

And one of the many reasons I'm retiring soon...

Overall, I think this is an overreaching system that people grasp as to a level of health that isn't necessarily true. Your body does require some amount of fat however, personal trainers and gyms around the nation would go broke if they weren't striving for that 0% body fat number.

[thedreamers]

most people will always be heavy by there charts the docs n them use. yes most of us can stand to loose body fat but some that are over can do more n last longer than those who meet the standard. I can stand to loose like the rest of you but I have over come my size by being very active. my doctor says i'm obese which is true but i'm healthy as a horse by his own words. I am a big guy with no medical issiues and my doc makes fun of me having the smallest chart in his office, I've seen him 5 times in the last 6yrs. hell the way I see it if you have alittle xtra and you still work out and keep up with rest, when the shtf I can miss a few meals cause I have reserves to burn unlike those with no body fat. when its over i'll get ripped from all the extra farm work/choirs I be doing. lol

[Matt In Oklahoma]

Strangely enough after contacting them after their "evaluation" I haven't received my richard simmons wannbecounselor or a reply e-mail. I guess they don't want their 3 minutes with me and my obese self LOL guess i'll just sit here n eat my ice cream since training was cancelled due to bad weather and blow up like a ole bullfrog in heat

[FeloDeSe]

The body mass index (BMI), or Quetelet index, is a measure for human body shape based on an individual's mass and height. It was devised between 1830 and 1850 by the Belgian polymath Adolphe Quetelet during the course of developing "social physics". The BMI was used to explain weigh in 1850 if you ask me it is outdated because Arnold Schwarzenegger's Top Form Body Measurements 6’2” 235lbs gives him a BMI of >30